A week had passed and even though everything felt so incredibly strange Jared had slipped into his new life with ease. The food was delectable, the clothes were being shipped in the right sizes, the bed was comfortable. His life had suddenly turned to gold, just like everything else he touched. He passed his workload onto his newly hired secretary, his need for freedom of stress was enough for him to dust away all hard work. Of course many would call that laziness but for now what did he know about this sort of business? Hadn't he done enough hard work in his life? Didn't he deserve some kind of a break?
Farrah Murray remained in the house, his sweet little prisoner. Often times he could hear her crying from the hall and he held himself back at going in there and offering a bit of comfort. She would turn him away, he knew that. He had been with other girls before, plenty of them seemed to line up for him back in America but all of them were low class born. Farrah was high class, through and through. Her very presence in the house dripped with wealth. She was the sort of conquest he desired, the kind of accomplishment he would pride himself on. So many different ways of seducing the girl came to his mind but none of them seemed to fit too well. He wanted her nonetheless, he had known that when he had first seen her back at the cafe and if he could get all this wealth, this whole life, than he was sure he could get her.
He smiled to himself at the thought as he turned away from the window. He sat on the leather bound chair and rested his feet up on the mahogany desk. The room smelled of melting wax and the scent coming from the kitchen. He had demanded his food be prepared immediately, the lavish details of his menus needing a long time to prepare. He couldn't help this, he didn't even care if the staff started to hate him. He could always find more.
Tonight was different however, tonight was special. It would be another stepping stone in his adventure, his excited heart pit-patting its way towards the hour he had set. Tom had agreed to join him for dinner, interested in the way he had taken to his new way of life. It wasn't just Tom though, he was bringing with him several friends from the wealthy circle of people around here. He was simply giddy sitting there, a wide smile on his face. He locked his hands behind his head and looked up at the ceiling.
He wondered what would happen were the ceiling to collapse, what sort of damage would be done to him. His brows knitted at the thought. Why were all of his thoughts so disastrous? So fatal to his own being? There were moments where he felt absolutely invincible but then it faded just as quickly as his hope for being untouchable arrived. He hated feeling this way. Feeling vulnerable only showed weakness and that was something he refused to be.
A knock sounded on the door.
"Come in." Jared called out, dropping his feet to the carpet beneath him and looking towards the opening door with a bit of professionalism. "What do you want?" He asked of the butler who still held that tired look in his aged eyes.
"Ms. Farrah would like an audience, sir." He seemed to hate his continued role in this house. Had he hoped he would be let go after he had learned of Mr. Murray's death? Or could it be that he didn't like Jared?
"Would she now?" Jared lifted his brows a little, his excitement reaching up further and sprouting.
"Shall I send her in?"
"Please do." Jared nodded, folding his hands on the desk top.
The butler disappeared outside the study and soon enough Farrah came in, meekly and with her head lowered. The door closing behind her nearly made her jump out of her skin and Jared stifled a laugh at her miserable reaction.
"You look rather pale, Ms. Farrah. Have you been eating properly?" Jared asked, mock worry in his voice.
She lifted her puffed eyes to him, those tired rings around them dark with sleeplessness. "Sir, I've come to ask a favor of you."
"A favor? Anything, of course, for Mr. Murray's daughter. God bless his soul."
She swallowed harshly at those words before locking her delicate hands behind her back. Despite her worn appearance she seemed to be so perfectly dressed. The silk of her dress was elegant and the powder blue of it was dainty against her pale skin. Had she dressed for him?
"I ask that you take a sum of money and be gone from here...be gone from my father's estate. I'll give whatever amount of money that you ask for, just....just leave." She was trying to be careful with her words, not wanting to spend too much sharpness in one go.
Jared held her eyes as he let a smile grace his thin lips. He nodded and stood to his feet. "That, my lady, is a very generous offer. But now I have a proposition for you."
"You will not leave?" She questioned with near panic.
"Why should I? This, after all, is now my home."
She looked about ready to scream except the exertion would have been too much. He could already see a hundred tears dancing in her sweet eyes. Such a shame for a girl to suffer so much in such a short time.
"Will you hear my proposition?" He folded his arms across his chest, his eyes pompous.
She lowered her head, that was agreement enough.
"Firstly, I admire your courage. To come in here and try to bribe me out of my rightful inheritance, so to speak, why it's preposterous! Bravo, my dear. You really do know how to put on a show." He could see her cringe with each word he spoke. What an effect he had on her. "And now to my offer...I think that any wealthy man would attest to the fact that there should always be a great lady behind every great man. Do you not agree, Ms. Farrah?" He didn't wait for her answer, he simply continued. "Now, I shall ask for your hand in marriage." When he saw her begin to protest he held up his hand for her to stop. "If you marry me, I will let you keep half of your father's estate, let you keep his name and his reputation in tact. However, if you don't agree to marry me...let us just say that if that were to ever happen it would be a shame indeed. Nobody likes a disgraced lady. A high born girl falling from grace is fodder for gossip but she's never again accepted. Especially if she's the daughter of a tarnished, dead gentleman."
"Are you threatening me, sir?" She asked, shock written all over her features.
"Am I? I thought it was an offer." His smile widened, that wicked glint sharp in his eyes.
"Why should you want to marry me? What would you get out of it?"
"A rightful claim...to all of this." He gestured about the grand study proudly.
"I would not marry you. Not even for my own reputation." She turned away from him with a huff and made to leave the room.
"And what of your poor, dead daddy? Would you ruin him out of pride?"
She looked back at him, her eyes quivering and at a loss.
"I know how much you loved him. I can't go one step in this house without hearing your dreadful whining. So tell me, fair Farrah, will you marry the master of this estate? Or will you be ruined along with your family name?" He demanded it harshly, his accomplishment coming closer into view.
She didn't answer, she merely stood there without a clue as to what to do.
He crossed the room to the door, standing by her and reveling in the way the air thickened with her tenseness. "Think on it, my dear lady, think on it." He rested his hand on her shoulder causing her entire body to go rigid before he slipped out of the room.
When the study's door clicked shut he let out a sigh of pride. He felt closer to what he wanted. He wanted to conquer, to possess. To become a man everyone feared, where no one would dare cross him. He could feel it in sight. And tonight's dinner would be the first stepping stone. He was getting closer and closer and he loved the taste of it.